By John Ingold and Michael Booth | The Colorado Sun
Are cantaloupes and peppers safe to eat? How will the river get clean? Everything we know about what comes next after a 4.25 million gallon sewage spill.
A massive spill of raw sewage and untreated wastewater into the Arkansas River in southeastern Colorado continues to wreak havoc on the region.
Water in the river downstream of the spill, east of Pueblo, is still testing high for dangerous nasties like the bacteria E. coli. Colorado Parks and Wildlife on Wednesday issued advisories for people to stay away from the water in 10 state wildlife areas along the river, as well as the Las Animas State Fish Hatchery.
And all of this is happening during one of the most agriculturally important times for the Lower Arkansas Valley, as watermelon, cantaloupe, chile peppers and other crops are harvested.
What do you need to know as the crisis nears its second week? Here are some answers to common questions.
What’s the latest on the spill?
After a failed pipe spewed 4.25 million gallons of sewage into the river last week from the City of Pueblo’s wastewater treatment facility, the spill’s plume flowed downriver and reached the John Martin Reservoir, east of Las Animas.
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